Switch!
by mariakaicho
Summary: Claire and Akari are sisters,and Akari makes a proposition when she unexpectedly shows up in Mineral Town.They switch places, one in Castanet Land and one in Mineral Town. Rated T for safety
1. Chapter 1

Claire glared at Akari, her stupid younger sister. Akari glared back. The two sisters continued glaring at each other, until Claire made a funny face and Akari giggled.

"No fair! You cheated!" Akari pouted cutely, crossing her arms.

"No I did not! It still doesn't explain why you're here and not at Castanet where you're supposed to be!" Claire looked at the younger girl suspiciously. Akari had shown up at Mineral Town early in the morning with luggage behind her.

"Uh…You see…" Akari trailed off, scratching her chin and giggling nervously.

"…You accepted a quest and now you don't know how to finish it because you're stumped and you want me to help." It wasn't a question.

"Technically, I finished my first quest. I built the-," Claire raised her hand, silencing her sister.

"I don't wanna know. Just tell me what I'm supposed to do," Claire was massaging her temples. Just what kind of family was she a part of anyway?...Oh, right, an insane one.

"Weeeelll, you're supposed to find these bells. Aaand you're supposed to ring them. Aaand, well, that's all I got," Akari rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

"Are you married?"

"Huh!?"

"Are. You. Married?" Claire looked at Akari with a stern gaze.

"…No…" Akari looked at Claire crying.

"You're gonna stay single forever! I'm never gonna have a niece or nephew from you!" Claire wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Akari sweat-dropped, dead-panning at Claire.

"You're not making any progress either. I mean, come on! I've seen at least two cuties eye-balling you on our way here! And you don't even acknowledge them!" Akari swung her arms around, gesturing to the inn they were in, and Claire blushed modestly.

"T-That's beside the point! What the point is, is that you want me to switch places with you!?" Claire pointed at Akari, and said girl smiled innocently.

"Yup! I want us to switch places! At least until you can finish the bells! The rainbows weren't enough to revitalize the land, and even though it's against my nature…I need a break. The other residents decided to leave once again to find clues to help the island…and I feel that they're thinking on never returning. It all happened when we changed Waffle Island's name and the names of the districts," Akari's voice was forlorn, and her eyes were beginning to water. "I-I thought that since you know more than me about farming…That you could help them."

Claire stared at her sister, before sighing her 'I-give-up-you-get-your-way' sigh. Akari squealed, and heads turned their way.

"…I have to tell everyone I'm leaving though," Akari smiled at her sister, and they made their way out of the inn after paying. They passed the winery. And Manna, Duke, and Cliff waved to them happily. Claire returned the greeting half-heartedly, and the winery workers wondered why.

* * *

Claire guided Akari to Rose Square, where she saw Lillia, Anna, and Sasha sitting on the bench, probably gossiping, and Mayor Thomas fixing the Town Bulletin. Claire nervously walked to the Mayor, Akari shuffling behind her nervously.

"Uh-Uhm…Mayor? May I speak with you for a second?" Claire shuffled her feet as Mayor Thomas looked at her curiously. "W-Well you see…" Claire explained the details of her and Akari's arrangement, and the Mayor nodded thoughtfully throughout it.

"…I…see. I'm sorry that you're leaving, you've been wonderful to the whole town! We're all going to miss you, and I'll keep Akari's secret safe with me." The Mayor smiled at Claire, and she beamed up at him. Akari smiled at him, and he looked at her like he had gotten a new child. "I guess we'll be watching over you from now on! Welcome to Mineral Town Akari!"

* * *

It was two days when Claire had finished packing, and Akari had finished putting away her stuff. They were currently standing at the dock, waiting for Mayor Thomas and whatever he wanted to give Claire.

"I think tomatoes are better to plant!"

"No way! Oranges, grapes, and Apples are easier to get!"

"Nuh-uh! Tomatoes, pumpkins, bananas and coffee!"

"…Since when did bananas, pumpkins, and coffee get added to our argument?"

"Since I mentioned that it was PWN-tastic?"

"You didn't say it was PWN-tastic!"

"Yes I did!"

"No you didn't!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Ye-," Akari was interrupted by an amused chuckle coming from behind them. They were facing the ocean at the dock, so they turned around to look at the entire town smirking at them.

"So…Which is more PWN-tastic?" Akari asked awkwardly, and Claire bonked her head. "I may have deserved that…ow"

Ann came up to Claire, and Akari made space for her. "I'll miss you Claire. You're the best friend I've ever had in a lifetime. I'll…miss you so much," Ann sniffled, wiping her nose with the sleeve of her shirt. She placed a box into Claire's arms, and turned back. Karen walked up next.

"Hey Claire. I…I thought you weren't going to be leaving…At all. You're awesome, and I don't think I would've run the shop that well if you didn't help me. You helped me out with all that shit too…Bah! I'm not good at any of this good-bye stuff! We're meeting again so just take it!" Karen shoved a wine bottle with a ribbon wrapped around it. _'It's Karen's special birthday wine,'_ Claire thought, and smiled at her brightly. The rest of the town people said their good-byes to Claire, and soon she was ready to go. She turned to face Akari, who had a guilty expression on her face.

"Akari. I'm trusting you to take care of everything while I'm gone. You've already been introduced to my dear friends right?" Akari nodded vigorously. If only the sprites back home would help just like the ones here, then life would have been much easier!

"I leave everything in your hands sister! May the Goddess be with you." The two girls saluted each other with a serious expression on their faces, and then hugged.

"Come on now Claire! Time to board the boat!" Zack called, and Claire gave one last wave before she boarded, and pretty soon, the boat started moving, and disappeared from sight. The red-haired girl came up to Akari, who was still staring after the boat.

* * *

"Come on now Akari. We'll treat you to lunch on your first official day as the new farmer on Mineral Town," Ann smiled as Akari's face broke out into a goofy grin.

"Do you got Tacos? Hot Coffee? Fried Potatoes? Orange cake?" Akari listed off recipes Ann had never heard of, and she was willing to learn them.

"Nope. But pretty soon we will," Ann grinned, and Akari matched it with her own. Doug looked at his daughter, and her newfound friend. A shiver went up his spine, and he wondered shuddered. Ann was up to something, and it seems like the new girl was going to help.

* * *

Claire wiped away her tears. She accepted to do this for Akari. She was going to anything in her power to help the island! She helped Mineral Town didn't she?

"Claire? We're going to stop off at Sunshine Islands where you're going to board another boat. The captain's name is Pascal, and he'll bring you to Castanet," Zack explained, and went back to guiding the boat. Claire sighed wistfully. Another new adventure huh?

* * *

"Sorry girl, but I'm not going anywhere once we land. So if you wanna go back, too bad," Pascal grumbled, and Claire felt sorry for him.

"Would you like a boiled egg? I made it for lunch, but I'm too nervous to eat." Claire handed him an egg, and he accepted it graciously. The dock came into view, and the boat ported.

"We're here," Pascal said through a mouthful of egg. She nodded, getting off of the boat. She heard a loud yell of, "AKARI!" And then someone bumping into her.

"Hey, you're not Akari," The blue-haired boy said. Claire laughed nervously, this must be one of her friends.

"I'm Akari's sister. Hello, I'm Claire." Claire extended her hand to shake the boy's.

"I'm Luke! Where's Akari? We've got some torture Gill planning to do!" Luke shook Claire's hand, and she looked at the boat. She wore a hat with her hair bundled neatly inside, and sunglasses to block out the bright sun. She was wearing a long brown coat that reached her knees, and a white long sleeved work shirt with faded jeans underneath. It was sort of cold considering it was still the beginning of spring.

"Uhm…Akari and I sort of traded places for a while," Claire said, and Luke stared at her innocently.

"So Akari is gone for some time? At your home? Do you know how to farm? How old are you? Are you really Akari's sister? Why is your eyes blue?" Luke started firing off questions to Claire, and her mind was spinning. She hefted her rucksack onto her back, and started dragging her pull-along suitcase behind her. Luke followed, and Claire patiently answered his questions one by one.

"Luke, do you know where the Town Hall is?" Claire asked, and Luke grabbed her suitcase and her arm before dashing madly towards the Town Hall. He crashed through the door with a flustered Claire behind him. Just as he did, Gill fell out of his chair, and the files he had been arranging scattered.

"LUKE! You just messed up my files!" Gill glared at Luke, expecting a witty remark. He frowned when he heard none, and noticed the person behind Luke trying to catch his/her breath. "Who is that?"

"Oh!" Luke pushed Claire in front of him, and she nervously bowed.

"I'm Claire. I'm Akari's sister," Claire introduced herself. She pulled the bottom of her coat and fixing her sunglasses.

"Where is she?" Gill asked, wondering if a prank was about to be played on him. Claire repeated her tale to him, and he nodded, a sort of longing in his eyes. "Hmph. I need to record your data into the Town Hall Records. Follow me to have your picture taken." Gill stood up and lead the way to another room. Just as he was about to enter, Mayor Hamilton burst into the room, startling Gill.

"Gillbert! Do you know-! Oh hello! Who might you be?" Mayor Hamilton smiled kindly at Claire, and she bowed to him.

"I-I'm Claire. I'm Akari's sister." She introduced herself. Gill told his father about the events, and he ran off, his face excited.

"Well, let's go take the picture now. Then we can fill out your information." Gill allowed Akari to enter, and Luke, who had almost been forgotten, followed after he forced his way through Gill who tried to block him.

Gill scowled, but went in to prepare the camera. "Okay, take off your sunglasses and hat please. We need to make this look good."

Claire frowned a little at his mean attitude, but complied. The first thing the boys saw was blue. Sparkling sapphire blue eyes. She tugged off her hat, and a mass of long blonde hair tumbledown her back. She sat on the small stool for her to sit on, and smiled shyly at the camera. Gill stopped gaping at her, and took the picture as neat and quick as he could be. His face was dusted pink, and so was Luke's. Gill strode out with Luke and Claire on his heels. Luke, for once, was uncharacteristically quiet.

Things have gotten more interesting.

* * *

**AN: O_O…yeah…I haven't played Animal March, but I'm mixing some of it in with ToT. I made Akari and Claire switch places, and the POVs will be switching every other chapter. If you don't understand anything, review and tell me so I could make things clearer! Thank you!  
**


	2. Meetings

_**Disclaimer: I forgot to mention in the first chapter that I got no ownership for Harvest Moon for Christmas.

* * *

**_

It was about two days later when Claire left. Doug sweat-dropped at the hyper-active women. Akari had evidently gotten a foreign recipe and they had tried to make it. Ann added too much sugar, and Akari added too much everything. Now, there were sugar-induced women running around the inn shouting.

"YA-…" Akari stopped all of a sudden, and sat on the ground with a thinking face.

"Huh! What's wrong Akari!" Ann plopped herself unceremoniously next to Akari on the floor.

"I'm usually at the Garmon Mine District at this time, and I don't know where the mines here are," Akari mumbled, fisting her hand under her chin in a thoughtful manner. She looked at Ann, who had bolted up from the floor.

"I can take you there! I always go there in the morning! DAD! I'M GONNA TAKE AKARI TO THE MINES AND SHOW HER AROUND THE MOUNTAINS! BYE!" Ann ran out of the inn dragging Akari with her. Doug sighed, knowing it was useless to try and argue with his daughter. Why did she have to have her mother's hyper personality?

Akari smiled, running ahead to her farm. Ann was lagging behind, and Akari giggled cutely. She arrived at the farm, waiting for Ann so she could lead the way.

"Akari!...No…Fair!" Ann huffed, trying to catch her breath. "Let's just walk the rest of the way."

Ann led her to the back opening of the farm. Akari passed the chicken coop, looking around to see if any had escaped.

"Aaaw! A bunny!" Ann cooed at the rabbit before her. Akari looked at it, and a blush made its way to her face.

"I wanna have it as a pet…" Akari pouted, but smiled when the bunny hopped to her and looked at her with shiny black eyes.

"Let's go Akari. We have to make it before dark."

"Right." Akari spared one last look at the rabbit before following after Ann. She was determined to have that bunny as her pet!

They took a right turn and arrived at a path going uphill. Ann climbed it easily, and Akari followed after her nervously. She felt a strong amount of power where they were going, and she had a feeling that this was where the Harvest Goddess lay. Stupid Claire and her not guiding me anywhere! She saw Gray, the blacksmith she had met yesterday, and the one who had been ogling Claire when she first came. He was also Ann's brother.

"Gray!" Ann cheered, and she waved at him to come over. "Akari needs a tour of the mines, and I'm not allowed to go in there. So tour her!" Ann demanded. She pushed Akari from behind her towards Gray, and he caught her so she wouldn't fall. "I'll be waiting outside!"

Akari looked towards the cave near the waterfall, and decided she'd make an offering to the Harvest Goddess here later. She skipped over to the cave, her hair bouncing as she did. She entered it and Gray reluctantly followed. How much trouble could this frail-looking girl be? Surely not as much trouble as Claire…

* * *

Claire looked around her. She felt as if someone was jinxing someone using her name…strange…But what were even stranger was the animals on Akari's farm! I mean! Come on! Who raised Ostriches! Goats, she could understand, but, Ostriches! She finished feeding the animals and went out to water the crops. After she was done, she was going straight into Harmonica Town and introducing herself to everybody! Determined, Claire watered all the crops, which wasn't very much due to the unfertile land.

She stretched, looking at the sky to confirm the time. It was almost noon. Most of the shops would be open now. Claire glanced into her wallet, roughly 20,000g left from buying the tickets. She sighed; she'll need to work harder to earn more money. If Akari hadn't come to her farm broke, she would have had more…

"Claire!" Luke's morning greeting was…energetic. He came running over to the farm, jumping over the gate and accidentally breaking a post. Claire sweat-dropped, but smiled at him none-the-less.

"Good morning Luke. Actually, you came at just the right time! I wanted to know if you could introduce me to everyone in town." Claire's sweet smile made Luke's heart flutter. Akari was never like this, so why was Claire!

"S-Sure! I'll even show you around the whole place!" Luke stretched his arms out wide to emphasize his point, pink dusting his cheeks. Claire giggled, and put the watering can away.

"Okay! Let's get going!" Claire cheered, pumping a fist in the air. Luke energetically agreed, and the two were running to Harmonica town.

Julius was just walking at the entrance to the town when Luke ran past him, and all he could see was a blue blur. That wasn't really surprising. He took another step and felt something collide into his side. He staggered a bit, but regained his footing.

Claire was not so lucky. She had managed a head-start against Luke, but he still managed to beat her. And just as she was running into town, she bumped into someone!

"Ow…" She mumbled, and a hand appeared in front of her face. She looked up at the person, dude, in front of her, and graciously accepted the help up. He looked….interesting to say the least. He had purple hair with streaks in it.

"CLAIRE! Are you alright!" Luke exclaimed, rushing over to her.

"Yup! I'm fine! Uhm…Are you alright…?" Claire looked at the man next to her who was smiling.

"I'm Julius. I work at Koto Accessories. You must be Akari's sister, the one the Mayor was running around the island talking about." Julius smiled at Claire's embarrassed blush.

"S-So everyone knows about me already!" Claire's blush grew at Julius' amused chuckle.

"C'mon Claire! Let's go to the inn!" Luke pulled Claire's arm impatiently. And she waved good-bye to Julius.

"Hope we meet again!" Claire smiled at him, sapphire blue eyes twinkling, which made Julius blush in turn. He smiled as realization dawned.

'_Luke was jealous.'_ And he found yet another way to tease the blue haired carpenter.

The door to the inn slammed open, and Luke burst in with a hearty, "Good Morning!" Claire followed timidly behind him, dusting her butt.

Colleen spotted the two, and called them over.

"Luke! I see you already know the new arrival!" Colleen smiled at Claire, and she returned it happily.

"Yup! I met her when she came!"

"Well then, I can tell you both haven't had any breakfast, so why don't you go and sit and I'll give you a free one!" Colleen smiled, and Luke dragged Claire over to a table before she could protest.

A couple of minutes later, Colleen came back with some soup and bread. Claire loved it, and Luke practically inhaled it.

"Slow down!" Claire laughed, and Luke grinned cheekily. He stood up fast, pulling Claire up from her chair. "Huh?" Luke kept grinning, pulling her to the kitchen. A strawberry blonde girl wearing a waitress outfit came bouncing out. She stopped as soon as she noticed Luke.  
"Morning Luke! Mom told me that you brought Akari's sister?" Maya smiled, and noticed the girl next to him and smiled hugely.

"Hiya! I'm Maya! I work here as a cook and waitress!" Maya exclaimed.

"I'm Claire. I switched places with Akari for the time being. Its nice to meet you," Claire smiled, bowing her head a little.

"Do you want to try my cooking! It's very yummy!" Maya's puppy-dog eyes made Claire almost say 'Yes, of course I will!' if Luke hadn't interrupted.

"Sorry Maya! We'll come back later when she's met everyone else!" And Luke hurriedly dragged her out the door.

"What was the about?" Claire asked, looking at Luke's pale face.

"The last time I tried Maya's cooking I fainted. I was put in the clinic for two days and missed a lot of work…" Claire knew he was telling the truth. They went to Koto Accessories next. Luke went in without knocking once more.

"Ah! Looks like I am once more graced by the appearance of a beautiful girl," Julius mentally cheered at Claire's blush.

"Where's Mira? Claire wants to meet everyone." Luke glanced at Julius warily. The dude was weird…and gay.

"She's at the church again. Goddess knows how many times she went there when the rainbows disappeared." Julius had a wistful look, and Claire became even more determined to help the land.

"Don't worry! I'm sure the land will get better!" Claire's face was hopeful, and Julius smiled sadly at her.

"That's what Akari said."

"Come one Claire! We'll go to-," Claire cut him off.

"Hey Luke? Where's the Goddess tree? I want to see it for myself." He couldn't say no to Claire's eyes.

"I-I'll lead you to it…"

"Great! Let's go! Bye Julius!" And this time Claire pulled him out of the store and to where she saw the woods.

* * *

'_Goddess this woman was annoying.'_ Gray thought, following after her on the 40th floor. He suppressed a growl of annoyance as she found yet another staircase. Sure she said she was going to make it quick. WRONG!

"Hey Gray! What's this used for?" He was brought out of his musings when Akari showed him an adamantite.

"Its for making makers." He sweat-dropped at Akari's confused face. "Makers make cheese, yarn, and mayonnaise. You can ship it, Claire already bought them."

Akari frowned, but went back to destroying the rocks with her hammer. She got more ore, and once it couldn't fit in her rucksack, deemed she had enough.

"Okay Gray! Hey! That rhymed! Well, anyways! Let's go!" Akari ran to the staircase, waiting impatiently for Gray to come.

Gray destroyed a rock on his way out, and a sand rose fell out of it. He stopped to pick it up, and pocketed it.

"Let's go!" Akari exclaimed impatiently, and went up the stairs.

Sunlight blinded her for a second, and she waited until her eyes adjusted.

"That was quick!" Ann exclaimed, bouncing towards her.

"Really? Gray was grumbling on how it took FOREVER!" Akari smiled innocently at Gray when he came out. She dug around in her rucksack, and took out half of the ores.

"Here you go!" Akari chirped, and Gray looked confusedly at her, then the ores, then her again.

"Huh?" Ann snickered at him, and Akari dumped the ores into his arms.

"Thank you for following me down into the mines! Here's half of the profit!" Akari smiled at Gray, and he blushed. He looked down, his hat covering his eyes.

"Thanks…" Ann full out laughed, and Akari stared at her innocently.

"Ann? Why don't you help Gray carry those back?" Akari suggested.

"But what about you? Won't you get lost?" Akari smiled at Ann.

"I'm going to head to the farm. I'm going to take a last look at the plants then let the animals out to graze."

"Okay…C'mon sissy pants!" Ann grabbed some of the ores and started running. Gray scowled, looked at Akari, nodded, then ran after Ann.

Akari grinned, looking at the pond. She spotted a flower next to a boulder near the hot springs, and picked it. She walked over to the pond excitedly, and threw it in. A bright light consumed her, and disappeared after a second. In front of her was a beautiful woman. She had green hair pulled to one side in a bun with a long flowing braid. Her gown flowed around her, and she smiled beautifully at Akari.

"Hello. I loved the offering you gave me." Akari stared in awe at the Goddess.

"You don't look like the Goddess at Castanet…" Akari's mouth was open, and her eyes were wide.

"Of course not. We are each governing our own land. It is nice to meet you Akari." Akari smiled at the Goddess.

"Nice to meet you too! I'll be coming by everyday!" The Goddess smiled at Akari once more, nodding her head.

"I'll look forward to it! I'm afraid I must go though. Farewell." And the Goddess disappeared in a bright light.

"Wooow…Now to get that bunny…" Akari stalked down the path, determined to get the bunny to be her pet!

* * *

Claire was in awe at the tree. She touched the bark of the tree, smiling. It was still alive. She stumbled back as a light appeared, and a transparent form of the Harvest Goddess appeared.

"Hello Claire. Its finally nice to meet you." The Goddess smiled sadly at Claire. "Its such a shame Akari left. She worked so hard to build those rainbows."

"I'm here to figure out…Why don't you look like Mineral Town's Goddess? No! Not that! How can I find the bells?" Claire waved her arms around, embarrassed over her mistake.

The Goddess chuckled amusedly. "Each Goddess takes care of the lands. The Harvest King, our brother, rules over all of us. And you know about the bells?" The Goddess looked at Claire curiously.

"I-It was a legend I heard from Akari…But she figured it wouldn't work like the rainbows. We switched places for a change of scenery! And I figured that while I was here…I would try that legend…" Claire nervously shuffled her feet, rubbing the back of her neck.

"It will work. The power of the rainbows helped enhance the land. If it weren't for Akari building them, the land would have surely died." Claire looked down.

"How do I find these bells? I'm determined to make the land bountiful!" Claire hid her sadness away, the land becoming her main thought.

"My power is not as it used to be. Finn will help you." Claire looked around her.

"Finn? Who's Fi-," Claire was interrupted when a yellow ball ran smack into her chest. She caught it, and a dizzy looking sprite lay in her hands.

"Finn will help you find the bells. For every bell you chime, the lands will replenish itself," Claire glanced at the sleeping sprite, "The first bell…is…in the mines. It's the…red bell…" The Harvest Goddess scrunched her brows up in frustration, and became more transparent. "Please hurry!" And she disappeared.

"Harvest Goddess!" The sprite zoomed out of Claire's hands to the spot the Goddess was.

"Finn?" The yellow sprite looked at Claire sadly, then perked up. "Oh! You must be Claire! The one I'm going to help!"

"So…The first stop is the mine?" Claire smiled happily at the sprite when he latched himself onto her arm.

"Yup! We're going to find Alan and make everything pretty again!" Finn cheered, and Claire smiled happily.

* * *

Akari came home, bunny safely in hand. When she was passing by the crops, they seemed a little wilted. Maybe she didn't give them enough water?

"Oh well. Snow, would you like some carrots?" The bunny looked up happily at Akari, it's nose twitching. She set it down, walking over to the refrigerator. She turned the stove on, and frowned when the fire wasn't high enough. She made the temperature higher, smiling.

The Goddess frowned when the sprites came. They had complained of hurting, and all of a sudden, they disappeared. She swore she could hear the Harvest God chuckling, taunting her. Looks like its time to depend on another farmer! Jeez…its just like that fiasco in Forget-Me-Not Valley.

* * *

**AN: WOOHOO! It's a New Year! Yup! I couldn't have it out sooner, and its already New Years here! I know I'm making it sound confusing, but I'm kinda mixing things to make it go along with my story. Thank you!**

**UPDATE: I know I madei t last year, so ignore the AN right there...-_-;**


	3. The people

Akari blinked once, twice. She tilted her head in confusion. The Harvest Goddess smiled sweetly at her.

"Um…Good morning?" Akari blinked when the Harvest Goddess' smile turned into a frown.

"I'm afraid its not that much good. Akari, the Harvest Sprites are missing." Akari's eye bugged out.

"What! But they were here yesterday!" Akari's brows scrunched up in frustration.

"Apparently, this happened before in Forget-Me-Not Valley," The Goddess' eyes closed in concentration.

"My brother Jack lives there. He mentioned something about this before…" The Goddess nodded.

"Yes. The Witch Princess and I were arguing, then she cast a spell on me and the Sprites there. He found the sprites, and I came back. That is what you are to do, you must find the sprites, and then finish the quests they are to assign you. The Harvest King is not doing much to help, and I'm afraid its because of the bells. I only hope Claire finds them in time…" The Harvest Goddess disappeared, but Akari paid her no mind. She already knew where to start looking.

* * *

"_What is that rock you're holding Claire?" Akari asked, motioning to the smooth round rock in her sister's hand._

"_Oh this? I found in it my horse's water trough. The Harvest Goddess said that if I found all of them, she would give me something special." Claire smiled at Akari's confused look._

"_How many are there?"_

"_Hmm, seven I think…"_

"_Do you have cake?"_

"_Yup! Let's go have some!"

* * *

_

Akari looked into Spirit's water trough, and inside it was a bubble. Aqua, the sky blue Harvest Sprite, was inside, trying to pop it. At the sight of Akari, he cheered.

"Akari! You found me, budum! Quick! Take me out, budum!" Akari reached into the trough, grabbing the bubble. She popped it, and Aqua floated into her hand.

"Hello, you alright?" The sprite nodded, hugging her hand.

"We need to find the others, budum! Hurry!" The sprite floated off of Akari's hand, waiting for her to follow him. Akari petted Spirit, rushing off after Aqua.

"Do you know where the others are?" Akari asked, standing in front of her home.

"I can sense Bold somewhere…near the Square, budum. He says he's in something that gives off light…" Aqua sighed, looking at Akari sadly.

"A streetlight! Let's check all the streetlights near Rose Square! Let's go!" Akari rushed off, Aqua holding onto her shoulder.

* * *

Claire smashed another rock with her hammer. She sighed, where were those stairs? She met Owen, the miner, outside. He said he saw something like the bell when he was inside, and she rushed off before he could finish.

"There it is!" Finn exclaimed, pointing to the stairs at the far left corner.

"Got it!" Claire exclaimed, and rushed off. Just as she was about to climb it, a flash of red caught her eye. "Finn! I think that that's the bell!" Claire pointed to the red flash behind the boulder, but frowned when Finn came back holding a ruby.

"Don't worry Claire! We'll find it for sure!" Claire nodded, then went back to climbing the stairs.

What she expected to see was not what she saw. There was a long rock path leading to a giant platform. She slowly walked up, Finn trembling a little.

"C-Claire! I-I think we s-should go back d-down!" Claire petted his head, still walking. "Claire! Let's go back! The bell's not here!"

"I just want to see what's here Finn, no harm done right?" Claire smiled encouragingly at the yellow sprite, and walked the last few paces.

"Who is there?" Claire froze to her spot. She did not dare to look up, and Finn gasped. She looked to her shoulder, and did not see Finn there.

"What is your name human?" Again the firm voice that held authority. She looked up, and the first thing she saw was fiery red hair. It really looked like it was on fire, and it was also flowing around him.

"Claire?" She said, more like asked. He scowled, then turned back to sit on his…throne?  
"Who are you?" Claire asked, looking at him curiously.

"I am the Harvest King. Now leave." He turned his head to look off into the distance, and frowned.

"If you are the Harvest King, then why don't you help?"

"What?" He looked at Claire again.

"Why don't you help the land get better?"

"That is none of my concern. It is the Goddess' job to do that." Claire frowned. She walked up to his throne, standing in front of him.

"Then what **do** you do?" Claire asked, tilting her head to the side curiously.

"You need not know that. Why do you not leave human?" The Harvest King asked, and looked expectantly at Claire.

"Hey Finn, do you think we missed the bell?"

"I don't know, maybe we should check again."

The Harvest King sweat-dropped, then stood up. "Human. Leave now."

Claire turned to look at the Harvest King.

"Do you know a fast way down?" Claire looked at him expectantly. The Harvest King smirked mentally. She must have only come here in dumb luck; there was no way she would make it again!

"If you come again tomorrow, I will allow you to teleport here and back down."

"Deal!" And Claire rushed down the stairs, Finn hanging hazardously onto her shoulder. The Harvest King stared confusedly after her, sighing. He shook his head, what trouble did he get himself into now?

* * *

Akari looked up into the streetlight. No luck, Bold wasn't in there either. She sighed, but then determinedly ran to the next one.

"Bold's not there either! What if we don't find him!" Aqua was close to tears.

"We'll find him Aqua! Don't give up! There's some bread in my rucksack, you can snack on that while I keep on looking." Aqua nodded, disappearing into her rucksack. Akari stared into the streetlight, the bright light hurting her eyes.

"If you keep staring into that you'll blind yourself." Akari turned, startled at the sound of Gray's voice.

"G-Gray! Why are you out at this time!" _'Cheesy,'_ was the first thought that came into Akari's mind.

"I should be asking you that. The wild dogs come out at this time. You should go home now." Akari stared at Gray's only visible eye.

"I'm not afraid of wild dogs! Anyways, I'm looking for something!" Akari huffed, then turned to look at another streetlight. Akari heard him grunt, then some footsteps. When she turned to look at him, he was next to her.

"What're you looking for?" Akari blinked owlish eyes, then smiled happily.

"I don't think you could find it either. You don't need to help me." Akari walked to the next streetlight, and Aqua shuffled in her rucksack.

"It's Bold! He's there! He's there! Get him! Get him!" Akari's eyes widened, and Gray looked around them.

"What's that? Do you hear that Akari?" Gray asked, looking everywhere.

"I think it's the wild dogs! Can you take me home, Gray?" Akari put on her patented puppy-dog eyes, a little watery-look added for dramatic effect. Gray blushed, and nodded.

* * *

Mary was walking around the Square, humming to herself. A late night walk always inspired her for her novel, and she couldn't wait to get back and start writing again. A little noise to her left and a flash of green caught her eye. She adjusted her glasses, seeing Akari walk around. She looked troubled, and Mary was about to go to her when Gray reached her first.

"What's Gray…" Mary's eyes flashed with a bit of envy. When Claire had come, she had taken all Gray's attention away from her. Mary had quite an infatuation with Gray, but she was shy, and she was not one to stick up for herself.

What she saw next nearly shattered her heart. Akari held onto Gray's arm, and Gray blushed, walking her back to her farm probably.

Mary frowned, tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. Gray seems to have a thing for farmers… Mary sniffed, her happy mood gone. When Claire had come, she had made friends with Claire, and Claire was like a sister, so she accepted Gray longing to be with Claire. When Claire announced she was going, Mary thought it would be her chance to get to know Gray better, but Akari, Claire's **real** sister, had moved in on Claire's spot.

Mary wiped the tears away from her eyes, sobbing silently.

"Want some help?" Mary gasped, looking up. She saw wavy dirty-blonde hair, and crimson eyes.

"Y-You're-!" Mary blacked out, and the witch princess chuckled. Mary fainted as the Witch Princess waved her hand and a bright red light engulfed her.

"Yay! I have a new experiment! With Mary under my spell, she'll be the perfect destruction!" The Witch Princess cackled, disappearing with Mary.

* * *

Bold gasped from the streetlight. The witch princess kidnapped Mary! The sweet librarian! Bold silently fumed, just wait till he's out of here! He'll save the day! Bold banged the glass, yelling for Akari and Aqua to hurry.

"Please, budum! Bad things are happening, budum!"

* * *

Claire happily laughed as the red bell finished ringing. She waved good-bye to the red-sprite, and headed back towards Akari's farm, now hers temporarily. Luke waved at her from the entrance, running up to her.

"Hey! Why don't we go to the Town Hall. I bet we could find lots of people to play with!" Luke grabbed her hand, pulling her along the path.

"U-Uumm, Luke!" Luke stopped, turning to look at Claire. "I still have a lot of work to do. I'm sorry, but can I please head back?" Luke frowned sadly, but perked up again.

"Sure! I'll just come by again so we could play more! But then we'll have to play longer to make up for today, okay!" Claire nodded gratefully, and waved as he ran off. Claire hummed as she walked to the farm, and Finn appeared at her side.

"Hurry, Claire! We need to find the others soon!" Claire looked at the frantic and excited Finn.

"Maybe we should recuperate before the hard work of finding the others. We'll visit the Harvest Goddess later, I want to wear something to show her." Finn tilted his head curiously, and she giggled. She took care of watering the plants, and started to take care of her animals.

She raced to her house after taking a quick bath, racing for her dresser. She dug around it, throwing all the overalls on the bed. She wondered how many she had. She finally reached it, her Goddess dress. Gotz had given her this, even though it belonged to his deceased wife. She hugged it to her, remembering her friend. She carefully put it on, adding the flowers to her hair. She skipped out of her house, and Finn gasped in awe.

"Wow, Claire! You look so pretty!" Claire twirled around, and Finn clapped his hands. She did a curtsy, giggling madly.

"Maybe I should have left this behind for Akari…" Claire trailed off, and she smiled, remembering the one she and Ann had been making. She could just give that to Akari.

"Let's go Finn! I want to do a dance for the Goddess, then maybe we could go the Harvest King and lift up his moody spirits!" Finn nodded encouragingly, and Claire made her way to the Goddess tree.

Chase had been going to introduce himself to the new farmer, the one everyone had said was Akari's sister. He wondered what kind of a klutz and idiot this one would be. He sighed dramatically, lowering his head. Akari was bad, but what about her sister? Would she be much worse?

"Let's go Finn I want to do a dance for the Goddess!" Chase wondered who the new girl was talking to, and he walked until he came to where he could see her form.

The sight was magical. It was like she was a goddess herself. A long pink dress extended to her ankles, and pink ballet flats adorned her dainty feet.

Flowers decorated her waist and hair, an assortment of pink, yellow, and white. Her hair itself was long and bright blonde, not brown like Akari's.

Chase found himself blushing, but shook his head. The farmer was probably headed somewhere else, so he could come back later. All he needed to do now was try and believe that the girl he saw was a farmer.

* * *

**AN: Sorry everyone! I had no internet for like, what seemed like an eternity! It sucked, and what more, my sis kept taking the laptop! Ugh, but at least its almost my birthday! Tomorrow is my cousin's and two of my uncles'. This is Saturday, 1-23-10! Yay!**


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